Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Last round.

On-bike time of late has been limited, but what I've gotten has been on this setup:

Essentially, I wanted to split the difference between true 29+ and normal 29" in order to determine if this was just splitting hairs or if there was a valid reason to go down this road. Tires are Panaracer Fat B Nimble up front and Maxxis Ikon out back. Although the manufacturers print different numbers on each of these tires, what they actually measure out to, at my preferred riding pressures, after having been ridden for a few weeks, is 2.75" up front and 2.5" out back.

I was surprised by the ride of this combo. On some trails I preferred it over 29+, and on every trail I preferred it over any other 'normal' 29" XC bike I've ridden in the last decade+. The combo of light wheels with ample traction, supple tire casings, and reliable tubeless performance made it fast and capable. Modern suspension and refined geometry made it fun.

Wrapping up the comparisons this week, then will start to condense my thoughts on where 29+ in general and this chassis in particular really shine, and where they make little sense at all.